Police use pepper spray to clear protesters from blocking an intersection in Seattle

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November 30, 1999
Web posted at: 2:20 p.m. EST (1920 GMT)

SEATTLE (CNN) -- Protesters representing a rainbow of causes attempted to disrupt Tuesday's opening session of the World Trade Organization conference. Activists in large numbers vowed to shut down the city with acts of civil disobedience. At one location, police used pepper spray to clear protesters.

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The mission of the WTO is to create a prospering global economy, increasing the flow of goods and services around the world. But critics argue most of the planet's population will not benefit from WTO actions and may, in fact, be harmed by them.

"The WTO is going to write the framework that will dictate how global commerce is done and our problem is that the vast majority of people in the world (have no representative to speak on their behalf at the Seattle conference)," said Chuck Collins, co-director of United for a Fair Economy.

The Boston-based group hopes its presence in Seattle will spotlight what it sees as the dangers of growing income, wage and wealth inequality in the United States.

Labor and environmental leaders planned to rouse tens of thousands of union members, environmentalists and human rights activists for a rally and march through downtown Seattle to coincide with the opening ceremony of the WTO meeting.

The disparate groups have a unified point -- the WTO is not good for them or the world's population in general.

"We're here, along with a lot of other organizations, to say that the World Trade Organization is essentially writing the rules for a new global economy that really don't incorporate the concerns of workers, environmentalists (and) consumers," Collins told CNN.

That's also the concern of Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based human rights and economic development organization. "We are seeing a race to the bottom in global standards, living standards, wages, environmental protections, and it's got to stop," said Juliette Beck, the group's WTO organizer.

WTO supporters deny the charge.

"Trade is not a race to the bottom," said Howard Lewis, vice president for economic policy of the National Association of Manufacturers. "The secret of success in trade is having the best workers, not the lowest paid workers."

Environmentalists dressed as endangered sea turtles rallied Monday for WTO reform

WTO General-Director Mike Moore appealed to activists to protest peacefully. "I believe a debate is good. I just hope it's peaceful," Moore said Monday. "It's difficult to maintain a dialogue if people do foolish things that disrupt the flow of information and advice."

Chuck Mack, the Western regional vice president of the Teamsters union, wants organized labor included at future international trade negotiations. "We ought to have a seat at the table so we can protect the interests of workers."

The protests will also be felt outside Seattle. The dockworkers union plans to shut down cargo movement at West Coast ports. Brian McWilliams, the president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, says the group is against free trade, while in favor of trade that shares benefits with workers.

Correspondents Greg Lefevre, Katharine Barrett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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